"I desperately need a place for a family with 6 kids for 2-3 weeks. This family has no home left. It's gone."

"We had been frantically trying to find my brother's in-laws. Nobody had been able to reach them since the storm hit... We found them cold, scared and unable to communicate with the outside world.”

“A woman came with bags full of dirty laundry, together with her children so they could eat lunch. She came on foot because she was afraid her car would run out of gas.”

Hurricane Sandy: If you were a victim, you don't need a reminder of the tragic destruction. For the rest of us, our hearts go out for the victims. We wish there were something we could do.

There is something. The Talmud exhorts: Share the burdens and the suffering of your fellow. (see 48 Ways #39) Indeed, Sandy has prompted an outpouring of New Yorkers (not always known for camaraderie!) opening their homes and banding together to help each other out at this time of need.

Amazing Five Towns

Here’s how one Jewish volunteer service corps, Achiezer, summarized activities in the Five Towns/Far Rockaway area of New York:

Food: Due to overwhelming requests received, we have set up two food distribution centers. There will be fresh meals in Rockaway/Lawrence at Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv, and also at Young Israel of Woodmere. Lunch and dinner will be served at both locations, with meals starting at 12:30 p.m. and continuing through the evening.

Clothing: Dozens and dozens of brand new racks of clothing are now available to anyone in the community. They will be distributed to anyone who needs, in a dignified manner, with no questions asked.

Laundry: We have received many requests regarding the inability to wash fresh laundry due to the lack of electricity. Through the dedicated work of several individuals we have been able to work out a special service. There will be 3 drop-off points. Each family may drop off 2 full bags of laundry (please close bags well) and we will have it returned within 24-36 hours.

Cleaning/Pumping: We have several crews available to help clean, shlep, and pump out water-filled basements. If you require such a service, call our hotline. If you are able to volunteer for these services, please contact us as well.

Electricity: We are in need of generators and RV's. If you know of anyone who can help with either, please contact us ASAP. This need is urgent; lives are at stake.

Shelter: Numerous people from our community were graciously hosted over the weekend people throughout the New York area. If you are still in need of shelter/temporary place to stay, please call our office and arrangements will be made.

FEMA: There are an endless amount of questions and confusion regarding FEMA claims, insurance filings, and legal questions. We are in the midst of creating a community task force that will exclusively deal with all of these issues. We are working to gather and make available as much information as possible, and hope to have this vital service available to the community by the beginning of the week.

Shaimos: There will be a truck parked for people to drop off holy books that were ruined by flooding, and require proper burial according to Jewish law.

Looking Forward

It is now more than a week since the storm hit. Subway service is back in order; the Brooklyn Tunnel has re-opened. The memory of Sandy is fading. Life is returning to “normal.” After a few days of commiserating, we could easily find ourselves going back to our hectic routines as if nothing ever happened. It's difficult to shake ourselves out of our complacency.

But we can do better. And we must.

Community-wide schools were formed, ensuring that no child be left behind.

The Talmud (Bava Basra 21a) states that if not for Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Gamla (a High Priest from the late Second Temple era), the Torah would have been forgotten from Israel. What did he do which was so revolutionary and far-reaching? He instituted a school system. Until his day, parents were responsible for teaching their children. Those who were blessed with parents studied, while orphans did not. Rabbi Yehoshua saw to it that community-wide schools were formed, ensuring that no child be left behind.

This begs the question: Only the orphans – perhaps 10-20 percent of the population – would have been left out. Yet the vast majority would still be studying as normal. How can the Talmud state the entire Torah would have been forgotten from Israel? What about the 80-90 percent who would have been studying?

My teacher, Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg zt”l, explained: The point is not that some of the unfortunates, a small fraction of the youth, would not have lacked the opportunity to study. Rather, if the rest of us had continued going about as if everything was normal, ignoring the plight of the minority, the Torah would have been forgotten. If we could think, it's really too bad about all those orphans, but at least we're okay, then we may have mastered the Torah's texts, but we would have failed to absorb its most basic message. We would have failed to “share our fellow’s burden,” and the Torah would have indeed been forgotten from Israel.

It shouldn't require a tragedy like this, but let us take this as a wake-up call to stand together.

The good folks at Achiezer have launched an Emergency Relief Fund for those who have been affected financially by Hurricane Sandy. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to those who have been hurt. If anyone holds a communal meeting or appeal, a team of local rabbis has volunteered to speak with any group and explain clearly the detailed needs.

Achiezer has raised over $1.2M locally, but they need a lot more money to help families who are in desperate straits from the flood and storm damage.

It is time to open our hearts – and our wallets. There was so much lost; there is so much rebuilding to be done. It is time that we all faced it together.

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About the Author

Dovid Rosenfeld, a native of the Washington, D.C. area, works both as a programmer for aish.com and as a responder for its Ask the Rabbi service. He also serves as as a volunteer writer for Torah.org. He lives with his wife and family in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel.

Rabbi Rosenfeld's son Zvi recently published his first book, The Ring of Fate, a riveting, fast-paced fantasy novel which is also completely kosher in both language and subject matter. It is available as both book and ebook. It is sold by Booklocker.com, as well as by Amazon.com and all the major on-line sellers.

Visitor Comments: 3

(3)
Yaakov,
November 15, 2012 8:55 PM

Achiezer is more than amazing

My family is part of this wonderful community. Achezer work/chesed is even more far reaching. My son was in the hospital, and they were ther everystep of the way. Including making sure our insurance was accepted and arranging kosher meals for Shabbos. Almost anything that is chesed oriented can be found in Achiezer!
We personally witnessed the Chesed from this orginazation and community during and after Sandy.
Yeyaher Kochachem!

(2)
Ben K,
November 13, 2012 3:10 AM

Jews Are Truly A Holy Nation

The kindness and helping of each other of te Jewish community os amazing. Hatsala voluntary ambulance corp has enthusiaistic volunteers on call 24/7 all over New York and elswhere gladly ready to rush to rescue their fellows in danger. Chaveirim gladly help their fellows with flat tires or locked in the car keys for no fee. Charity and free loan funds of vast numbers. And in the afte math of this storm we hear of people going to strck areas to distribute food and help clear wreckage and invite displaced people to their own homes. This is what we are about. (I dont mean by this remark that it is All we are about. It is the Torah that
makes us into better people.)

(1)
Robert,
November 12, 2012 5:28 PM

Baltimore's contribution

Under the incredible leadership of Rabbi Hauer (http://bjsz.org/) Baltimore sent 4 busloads of volunteers to clean up Seagate - a gated community that was also hit very hard by Sandy. For more details see http://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=1&ARTICLE_ID=33564

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I just got married and have an important question: Can we eat rice on Passover? My wife grew up eating it, and I did not. Is this just a matter of family tradition?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah instructs a Jew not to eat (or even possess) chametz all seven days of Passover (Exodus 13:3). "Chametz" is defined as any of the five grains (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye) that came into contact with water for more than 18 minutes. Chametz is a serious Torah prohibition, and for that reason we take extra protective measures on Passover to prevent any mistakes.

Hence the category of food called "kitniyot" (sometimes referred to generically as "legumes"). This includes rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Even though kitniyot cannot technically become chametz, Ashkenazi Jews do not eat them on Passover. Why?

Products of kitniyot often appear like chametz products. For example, it can be hard to distinguish between rice flour (kitniyot) and wheat flour (chametz). Also, chametz grains may become inadvertently mixed together with kitniyot. Therefore, to prevent confusion, all kitniyot were prohibited.

In Jewish law, there is one important distinction between chametz and kitniyot. During Passover, it is forbidden to even have chametz in one's possession (hence the custom of "selling chametz"). Whereas it is permitted to own kitniyot during Passover and even to use it - not for eating - but for things like baby powder which contains cornstarch. Similarly, someone who is sick is allowed to take medicine containing kitniyot.

What about derivatives of kitniyot - e.g. corn oil, peanut oil, etc? This is a difference of opinion. Many will use kitniyot-based oils on Passover, while others are strict and only use olive or walnut oil.

Finally, there is one product called "quinoa" (pronounced "ken-wah" or "kin-o-ah") that is permitted on Passover even for Ashkenazim. Although it resembles a grain, it is technically a grass, and was never included in the prohibition against kitniyot. It is prepared like rice and has a very high protein content. (It's excellent in "cholent" stew!) In the United States and elsewhere, mainstream kosher supervision agencies certify it "Kosher for Passover" -- look for the label.

Interestingly, the Sefardi Jewish community does not have a prohibition against kitniyot. This creates the strange situation, for example, where one family could be eating rice on Passover - when their neighbors will not. So am I going to guess here that you are Ashkenazi and your wife is Sefardi. Am I right?

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (1194-1270), known as Nachmanides, and by the acronym of his name, Ramban. Born in Spain, he was a physician by trade, but was best-known for authoring brilliant commentaries on the Bible, Talmud, and philosophy. In 1263, King James of Spain authorized a disputation (religious debate) between Nachmanides and a Jewish convert to Christianity, Pablo Christiani. Nachmanides reluctantly agreed to take part, only after being assured by the king that he would have full freedom of expression. Nachmanides won the debate, which earned the king's respect and a prize of 300 gold coins. But this incensed the Church: Nachmanides was charged with blasphemy and he was forced to flee Spain. So at age 72, Nachmanides moved to Jerusalem. He was struck by the desolation in the Holy City -- there were so few Jews that he could not even find a minyan to pray. Nachmanides immediately set about rebuilding the Jewish community. The Ramban Synagogue stands today in Jerusalem's Old City, a living testimony to his efforts.

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

It is the nature of a person to be influenced by his fellows and comrades (Rambam, Hil. De'os 6:1).

We can never escape the influence of our environment. Our life-style impacts upon us and, as if by osmosis, penetrates our skin and becomes part of us.

Our environment today is thoroughly computerized. Computer intelligence is no longer a science-fiction fantasy, but an everyday occurrence. Some computers can even carry out complete interviews. The computer asks questions, receives answers, interprets these answers, and uses its newly acquired information to ask new questions.

Still, while computers may be able to think, they cannot feel. The uniqueness of human beings is therefore no longer in their intellect, but in their emotions.

We must be extremely careful not to allow ourselves to become human computers that are devoid of feelings. Our culture is in danger of losing this essential aspect of humanity, remaining only with intellect. Because we communicate so much with unfeeling computers, we are in danger of becoming disconnected from our own feelings and oblivious to the feelings of others.

As we check in at our jobs, and the computer on our desk greets us with, "Good morning, Mr. Smith. Today is Wednesday, and here is the agenda for today," let us remember that this machine may indeed be brilliant, but it cannot laugh or cry. It cannot be happy if we succeed, or sad if we fail.

Today I shall...

try to remain a human being in every way - by keeping in touch with my own feelings and being sensitive to the feelings of others.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...